Postal Bulletin: Protect Yourself Against Heat Illness When Delivering for America

Rising temperatures can put employees at risk for heat illnesses. When the body is unable to cool itself by sweating, heat illnesses such as heat stress, heat cramps, heat exhaustion, and heat stroke may occur. Symptoms range from mild and easily correctable to severe and potentially life-threatening. The United States Postal Service (USPS) implemented the…

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OSHA response to unsafe work conditions complaint at Cape Girardeau Mail Facility

RE: OSHA Complaint No. 2045099 Dear Employer: On June 23, 2023, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) received a notice of alleged workplace hazard(s) at your worksite at: 475 Kell Farm Drive, 320 N. Frederick St. Cape Girardeau, MO 63701 We notified you by telephone of these alleged hazards on June 23, 2023. The…

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NALC: How to navigate the Reasonable Accommodation process

NALC – June 2023 The Rehabilitation Act of 1973 prohibits discrimination against qualified employees with disabilities and obliges the Postal Service to provide accommodations. This month’s Postal Record takes a look at how to navigate the reasonable accommodation process. The Postal Record – Reasonable Accommodation Source: NALC

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NALC urging USPS to protect carriers from hazardous air quality

June 08, 2023 Use of face masks/filtering face pieces is recommended. City letter carriers in the Midwest, New England and along the eastern seaboard are facing hazardous working conditions caused by smoke from hundreds of wildfires blazing across central and eastern Canada. The air quality index (AQI), a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency metric for fine…

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APWU: Fires and Your Health

June 8, 2023 Smoke is made up of a complex mixture of gases and fine particles produced when wood and other organic materials burn. The biggest health threat from smoke is from fine particles. These microscopic particles can get into your eyes and respiratory system, where they can cause health problems such as burning eyes,…

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USPS: Dog Bite Awareness Week begins June 4

June 2, 2023 National Dog Bite Awareness Week, an annual USPS public service safety campaign, runs from Sunday, June 4, to Saturday, June 10, this year. “Even good dogs have bad days” is this year’s theme. “When our mail carriers are bitten, it is usually a ‘good dog’ that had not previously behaved in a…

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USPS: All Reasonable Accommodation requests must be recorded

June 1. 2023 The Postal Service wants supervisors and managers to remember that every request for reasonable accommodation, no matter how minimal, must be recorded. The forms Confirmation of Request for Reasonable Accommodation and the Reasonable Accommodation Decision Guide should be filled out and the information entered in the Reasonable Accommodation Data Activity Recording system,…

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USPS OIG Report: Workers’ Compensation Program Update

Background Postal Service employees who sustain a work-related injury or occupational disease are covered by the Federal Employees’ Compensation Act (FECA). These benefits include wage-loss compensation, medical and rehabilitation services, and death benefit payments to surviving dependents. The Department of Labor’s (DOL) Office of Workers’ Compensation Program has the exclusive authority to administer, implement, and…

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